Incapacitated In The City

In late February of 2015, I underwent surgery on my foot. In my head, I’d take a full two weeks to recover and be back on my feet, literally. I even made myself a daily schedule including a meal and exercise plan.

When I say “exercise,” I am referring to crunches and lifting weights while lying on the couch and re-watching the entire Gossip Girlseries. As an active person, I was afraid I would overly enjoy this break and let myself go with all of the “get well” treats sent by friends and family.

Girl, was I wrong.

The process was more intense than originally explained. May came around and I was just starting to walk again without the assistance of a cast, boot, or crutches. Thank my lucky stars that sneakers began trending again, because they were the only type of shoes that fit my swollen trotters.

The biggest challenge of it all was transportation to and from work in NYC. Here are some struggles I had to deal with and some that still occur.

-The Subway: Rush hour means people stepping on your feet - causing my ankles to look like Violet from Willy Wonka, purple and huge. Because it was winter, there was a lack of air circulation underground yet we are all bundled up. As far as getting offered a seat on these hot and sweaty train cars? Forget about it. You have those who put their heads down and act as if they do not see you. Then you have those that just stare at you, like they’ve never seen a cast before. There were a few times that riders stuffed dollar bills in my pocket thinking I was a beggar. The alternative?

-Uber: They picked me up directly out front of my apartment and dropped me off directly where I needed to be. Most drivers were sympathetic and opened the door for me. What is better than that? The downfall was that taking an Uber at least twice a day burned a hole in my pockets. However, maxing my credit card on this was worth it to me. I felt safe and secure. However, that went down the drain once a driver texted me “Be there soon beautiful.” Usually this would not frighten me. If I was healthy, I would be able to fend for myself if anything happened. Let's face , catcalling and creepy men are a part of NYC Woman’s everyday life. On the contrary, I was alone and unable to run, turning me off from accepting this ride. The next alternative?

-Taxi: This is cheaper, but nowhere near as luxurious. The speed of these rides caused my crutches to fly forward, hitting a driver in the head. NYC taxi drivers can be aggressive and kick you out for the smallest reasons. Imagine being kicked out for assault by a flying crutch! Also, trying to catch a cab after work in the middle of Times Square is close to impossible. The area is crawling with tourist that snag the first yellow light they see. By this time, I started to walk. What now?

-Walking: The beautiful weather rolled around at this point giving me a sense of freedom and happiness, until that one day. A man walks up to me and says, “Girl, what’s going on with your foot? You are walking with a gangster lean.”